2027: Incumbent Governors Should Not Face Primaries — North-Central APC Forum

The North-Central All Progressives Congress (APC) Forum has rejected calls that sitting governors should go through primary elections to secure the party’s ticket for the 2027 general elections.

The stance comes after APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, stated that there would be no automatic tickets for governors and other office seekers in the upcoming elections.

Some APC stakeholders had proposed that governorship tickets should be thrown open even when incumbent governors are seeking a second term.

Reacting in a statement on Thursday, the North-Central APC Forum, led by its Chairman Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, described such suggestions as wrong, arguing that governors are among the party’s biggest assets.

The forum warned that requiring governors to undergo primaries could create internal disunity, destabilise the party, and provide opportunities for opposition parties during the elections.

“It would be a serious disrespect to the office of the governor. The biggest assets the party has are the President and state governors. Allowing anyone to contest against them in primaries undermines the governors and, indirectly, the wellbeing of the party,” the statement said.

The forum added that governors should continue to receive party tickets unopposed for a second term, citing precedent in 2019 when former President Muhammadu Buhari and returning APC governors faced no opposition in primaries.

“Throwing the governorship ticket open for contest when an incumbent is seeking a second term is unprofessional and counterproductive. Primaries should only be held where a governor has completed his term and a new administration is to be elected,” the statement added.

The forum also rejected suggestions that the National Working Committee (NWC) should withhold party structures in the states from incumbent governors ahead of nationwide congresses.

Former APC Deputy National Chairman Yekini Nabena had warned that ceding structures to governors could alienate party members and weaken grassroots support.

The North-Central APC Forum, however, insisted that governors are the leaders of the party in their states and any attempt to alter this arrangement could spark crisis.

“The governors are the leaders of the party in every state, and the party’s structure rests with them. Changing this status quo will only lead to resistance and potential crisis,” the statement said.

The forum urged the APC leadership to avoid any moves that could destabilise the party ahead of the 2027 elections.

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